How to Balance Your Homework With Extracurricular Activities or Friends

Last Updated: January 31, 2023 References

Schoolwork, friends, family, activities...life is busy these days! You want to do it all, but finding a healthy balance between schoolwork and social activities can prove to be quite a challenge. Thankfully, juggling both is possible by learning how to efficiently divvy up your time.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Organizing and Focusing

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Make a “master” to-do list. This is a list of all your academic, extracurricular, and social goals, desires, and obligations. Do this both for short- and long-term goals you’d like to meet. This will allow you to clearly see what your goals and interests are at the moment and will give you an idea of how you should be dividing up your time.^{[1]
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- Include anything that you want or need to devote time to in your list. If you have a project due next week, write it in. If you have in mind to complete a college application by next month, put that on the list as well. And yes, playing that awesome new video game for an hour the day it comes out should also be factored into your list.
- Create a realistic timeline you will use to meet your goals. Set a due date next to each item, and organize your list by due date. This way, you can hold yourself accountable for meeting your goals by the dates you have established.^{[2]
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Complete the tasks you delineated in your to-do list. Stick strictly to your due dates. If you follow your timeline, it will be easier to keep track of what you still need to do. It will also relieve you of the stress that often comes with not having strictly set deadlines. ^{[3]
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- Cross off each task as you complete it. This will help you keep track of the work you have done and what you have left to do. You will also feel a great sense of validation when you look back and see all that you’ve accomplished!
- Be flexible. If you plan to do your homework immediately after school but find that you can actually focus better if you do it after dinner, adjust your schedule accordingly.
- Reward yourself occasionally. You’re meeting your goals! Keep up the great work.
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Organize your daily activities by creating a timetable. A timetable will propel your productivity by allowing you to clearly see what you need to do and when you need to do it. Angle it more towards daily tasks rather than long-term goals, and make it as detailed as possible (e.g. do homework from 5:00-6:00, eat dinner from 6:00-6:30, and so forth).^{[4]
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- Leave a bit of a cushion for unexpected events and for transitions between different activities in your timetable. You never know what could arise, and you want to be prepared and flexible enough so that unforeseen circumstances don’t throw your schedule and your productivity out of sync.^{[5]
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- Schedule breaks into your timetable. Breaks are conducive to mental acuity - don’t underestimate their power!^{[6]
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  Research source} Go for a nice walk or watch a funny animal video - just get your brain out of “work” mode for a few minutes.
- Complete the most urgent items in your timetable earlier in the day.^{[7]
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  Research source} This way you can also ensure that you get all of your most time-sensitive work done.
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Purchase a planner or use a free service like Google Calendar.^{[8]
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Research source} Using a pre-designed calendar for your timetable is especially helpful if you do not have time to create a calendar of your own.
- Consider the type of planner you will use very carefully. Planners come in all shapes and sizes - from daily to weekly to monthly- and you should pick the format that works best for you so that you get the most out of its usage.
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Modify your schedule as needed. Once you create a master list, you may realize that you’re overbooked. For instance, if you’re considering taking an AP course but are also on a soccer team and have piano lessons, you might not have enough time to get everything done.
- Adjust your schedule accordingly, such as dropping an extracurricular activity or sticking with the “regular” class instead of signing up for the AP course.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Merging School Life with Social Activities

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Make studying social by organizing a study party. Not only is this a way to increase time spent with friends and make studying more enjoyable, but it can also be conducive to more efficient learning. By collaborating with friends, flaws in reasoning or understanding can be pointed out. It also doubles as a way to check your work and quiz each other!^{[9]
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- Keep joint social-study events fun, but not too fun. Stay focused on your work.
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Study in a common area. You may be tempted to read or work on a project in your room. Instead, venture out to the local library, coffee shop, or even park and work while taking in your surroundings. The change of scenery will be refreshing and keep you motivated while also encouraging limited interaction with others.^{[10]
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Research source} Just be sure to move indoors if it gets too distracting.
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Check in with your classmates. Make it a point to know at least three people in each class, and check in with them frequently. This will keep you engaged with classwork while also encouraging social interaction.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Distinguishing Socializing from Schoolwork

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Set aside a Saturday or Sunday every weekend just for social activities. For example, knowing that Saturday is your “off” day will allow you to put boundaries around how much time you are able to devote to schoolwork versus to socializing. If you don’t waver from the pattern you establish, this division will also keep you on track—if Saturday is for play, then Sunday is for work.^{[11]
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Consider participating in extracurricular activities with friends. When you do this, you reduce the urgency to socialize with friends in other time-consuming ways.^{[12]
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Research source} That way, you can devote more time to homework if you need to or even for independent downtime.
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Reach out to your friends for advice and guidance. Recall that as much as you can distinguish between school and extracurricular activities or hanging out with friends, studying can also be an activity that you do with or alongside others. Even if you aren’t working on the same projects, you and your friends are on the same (or a similar) boat.
- Observing or directly asking your friends how they balance their work and social lives can be helpful!
- Share your schedule with your friends. Explain when you’re free so they’re not tempting you to hang out when you’ve scheduled study time or an extracurricular activity.

Warnings

Don’t waste time or allow your homework to pile up.

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Don’t let your social study sessions derail into non-school related chats.

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